Hard Floor Care – Concrete Floors

Hard Floor Care – Concrete Floors Concrete is generally laid in heavy duty areas. Its ability to sustain considerable weight has made it the most popular type of floor for industrial undertaking, particularly where machinery is installed or heavy traffic is present. Portland cement is mixed with sand a crushed stone or gravel to form concrete. Water is added to the mixture to form a paste, which sets as a solid mass due to a chemical reaction of the cement with water. Cement is mainly a mixture of complex silicates and aluminates of calcium contain excess lime. Reactions involving the water and excess lime produce various hydrated products which are hard and thus form the finished floor. The smoothest concrete floors still have rough surfaces when examined microscopically. All finish concrete also contains a small amount of material which can be dissolved in water. The term “granolithic” is used in connection with a particular type of surface and the method employed in its manufacture. Granolithic floors mostly have a normal concrete sub floor with a topping generally including granite chippings, to give a less porous and more dense surface. Although the normal aggregate is granite, other crushed, hard materials can be used to provide a satisfactory wearing surface. Characteristics of Concrete: Plain concrete flooring is unattractive in appearance a very drab if left untreated. A pigment added to the mix greatly improves the appearance by giving a colored finish. The range of pigments that can be added is limited by the alkaline conditions during the manufacturing process and later in the finished concrete. Concrete is extremely hard and noisy. The concrete made from Portland cement (made by heating and pulverizing a mixture of limestone and clay) is resistant to a wide range of chemicals including mineral oils and grease, but it is slowly attacked and broken down by acids. Vegetable oils, fats and sugar solutions are also harmful. Most concrete floor have good resistance to slip; however, this will depend almost entirely on the surface finish. Attempting to solve slip problems by mechanical means is ineffective. If slippery conditions occur, the floor should be treated with seal, as seals are generally non-slip. All types of conrete have a tendency to dust. This can greatly increase cleaning costs, particularly in areas where it is liable to come in contact with precision engineering machines. Loose dust particles are abrasive and constant traffic can grind them into the floor, causing still more dust. To determine if dust is from the work process or from the floor, simply collect some of the dust and add a few drops of hydrochloric acid. If the dust originates from the concrete, small bubbles of carbon dioxide gas will appear on the surface of the dust.   Search For Cleaning Supplies And Cleaning Products On Our Online Store

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